Just yesterday, the interest in Jason Collins' jersey has taken off. Today, Collins' jersey went on sale at the NBA's retail shop in Manhattan and at NBAstore.com. His jersey number of choice is 98, in honor of Matthew Shepard, a gay college student from Wyoming who was murdered in 1998.
Collins wore the number 46 against the Lakers because the Nets only had a generic jersey the team travels with in case of emergencies. He will most likely wear the No. 98 uniform against the Trail Blazers. According to Vicky Picca, the NBA's senior vice president for licensing and business affairs, the inquiries from people interested in buying something with Collins’s name on it have been unprecedented.
Fans will not yet be able to buy Collins apparel at the Nets Shop by adidas. Barry Baum, the Nets’ executive vice president and chief communications officer, said that historically, player-specific merchandise was not made available when a player signed a 10-day contract. Baum also stated that if, and when, a player became signed for the entire season his merchandise would go on sale at the team store and on the team’s website. The Nets will ultimately decide when they want to begin selling Collins' jersey.
This should be interesting to see where Collins ends up ranking among all NBA players in jersey sales if he signs for the rest of the season with Brooklyn.
RELATED: Jason Collins Signs with Brooklyn Nets: What is the On-Court Impact?
[via NY Times]
